Smoker&#39;s device



E. O. STATELLES SMOKERS DEVICE Filed June 24, 1940 lP/PHANY 0. STA TELLEJ,

'i atented Aug. 19, 1941 UNETEB STATES PATENT QFFICE SMOKERS msvros Epiphany 0. Statelles, Beverly Hills, Calif. Application June 24, 1946, Serial No. 342.092

5 Claims.

This invention relates to smokers accessories, and in particular to a device for clipping and extinguishing the burnt end of a cigarette coincident with its disposal in an ash tray or other suita cigarette stub may be inserted in a guide and temporarily lodged without further attention of the user, a cutter actuated by manual operation to shear off the burnt end of the cigarette, and the remaining part of the stub be automatically released to fall by gravity into the receptacle.

A modified form of the invention is provided in which the member upon which the cigarette stub has been lodged is brought into contact with a complementary member to compress and further break up the clipped burnt end of the cigarette stub.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide in a device of the character described a novel slide member combining a tongue or cigarette supporting element, a cutter, and an opening rearward of the cutter, reciprocally mounted in a guideway in conjunction with a guide or sleeve for receiving the cigarette. The tongue is normally disposed below the lower end of the cigarette guide and provides a temporary lodg-- ment of the cigarette when inserted. The knife or butter edge is connected with the tongue rearwardly of its major portion and is adapted to shear off the burnt end of the cigarette at the lower end of the guide or sleeve. The opening in the slide member is located rearwardly of the knife or cutter and provides a hole or opening large enough for the remaining part of the cigarette stub to fall through by gravity at the completion of the cutting stroke. The cutter and elements combined with it are normally held in retracted position by means of a spring.

As illustrative of my invention, but not as a limitation thereof, I have shown a preferred form in the annexed drawing in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my cigarette clip in conjunction with an ash tray.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing the cigarette clip at the conclusion of the cutting operation.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of my novel combined tongue, cutter, and open slide.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of a modifled form of device which includes members for compressing and breaking up the burnt material cut from the end of the cigarette stub.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary-view of the-form shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 'l-l of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is an end elevation of a part of the device taken in the direction of the arrow 8 in Figure 5.

My cigarette clip is adapted for attachment to an ash tray or receptacle l0 which may be of any desired shape or configuration and which may be desired for use in an automobile, home, oflice. public room, or elsewhere. My invention is in no sense limited to any particular type or design of ash tray or receptacle.

Mounted adjacent to the wall of the ash tray I0 is a slide guide member II. This, as in the form illustrated in Figure 1, may be welded or soldered in the wall of the ash tray, or as illustrated in Figure 5, may be mounted upon a bracket adjacent to the ash tray, so that the cigarette clip lies over. the tray. This guide member Ii is formed with longitudinal grooves II.

A cigarette guide or sleeve l3 preferably flared at its upper end as at ll to facilitate the introduction of cigarettes, is mounted in the upper face I5 of the guide member I i. The sleeve is open at both ends and its smallest interior diameter is sufficient for the free passage of a cigarette.

Disposed for slidable movement in' the guide member ii is the member comprising my combined tongue, cutter and open slide member generally designated l6. This may be conveniently made in a stamping operation if the device is constructed of metal, or may be readily molded if the device is made of plastic material. It comprises a horizontal part i! formed with an opening l8 large enough for a cigarette stub to readily fall through, a thumb flange I 9 at one end, a knife or cutter 20 with an edge 2| at the other end, and adjacent to the knife 20 and extending downwardly and obliquely therefrom a tongue or cigarette lodgment element 22. The cutter edge may be straight, as illustrated, or given any other desired configuration.

This member i6 is adapted for free reciprocal movement in the slide guide member Ii, the tongue 22 in its retracted position being located directly underneath the lower end of the cigarette guide l3, and the edge 2| of the cutter 20 in such position being located adjacent the lower edge of the guide l3, as illustrated in Figure 1.

The member I6 is normally retained in its retracted position by a coil spring 23 which may be held in place by pins 24 and 25 located on the thumb flange l9 and the outer face of the cigarette ash tray 10 respectively. A flat spring or other type may be substituted for the coil spring 23.

The upper flared end of the cigarette guide or.

sleeve l3 should be flush with the upper edge 26 of the ash tray l where employed in a drawer type of ash tray design such as used in automobiles. In other types of ash trays it is not important whether the upper end of the cigarette guide I3 is flush with the upper edge of the ash tray or extends above it. There is no objection to having the upper end of the guide l3 terminate below the upper edge of the ash tray, this being a matter of choice and design. There must be suflicient clearance between the lower end of the guide l3 and the bottom of the receptacle for cigarette stubs to readily fall through and be deposited in the receptacle.

In use when a smoker desires to dispose of a burnt cigarette he places the cigarette stub, ash downward, in the guide l3, allowing the stub to drop. The lower end of the stub will come to rest on the tongue 22 where it will be temporarily lodged without further attention of the smoker. The member 16 is then pushed inwardly by the thumb or finger against the action of spring 23 to the full extent of movement provided. The inward travel of the member i6 results in the edge 2| of the cutter 20 engaging and shearing off the lower burnt end of the cigarette stub along the lines of horizontal travel of the member I 6, which is across the lower mouth of the cigarette guide I3. As the cutter travels across the burnt end. ashes, paper and particles of tobacco severed from the upper part of the cigarette stub fall upon the tongue 22 and slide from there down into the ash receptacle l0. Due to the oblique disposition of the tongue 22 little if any material remains on the tongue, and never enough to give any trouble or impair the operation of the device.

As the member l8 completes its stroke the opening I 8 comes into register below the lower end of the cigarette guide i3. At this time the burnt end of the cigarette stub has been completely severed and dispersed as previously described. The remaining portion of the stub has remained in the sleeve, supported therein by the upper face of the cutter 20 and as the cutter passes beyond the cigarette guide in completing its stroke, the remaining part of the cigarette stub falls by gravity through the opening l8 into the receptacle beneath.

When the thumb or finger pressure on the flange I9 is released the spring 23 causes the member It to return to its normal position where it remains ready for the next operation.

The essence of my invention is the provision of a device in association with an ash tray for temporarily retaining and lodging a cigarette stub without making it necessary for the smoker to hold the stub or any element in connection with the retaining means, and by the manipulation of a.clip in a single simple movement cut off the lower burnt end of the cigarette stub, dispersing the fragments into the receptacle, in such quickly successive timing as to constitute substantially a simultaneous action, providing for the disposal by gravitation of the remaining portion of the cigarette stub into the ash tray.

In the modified form of my device illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 I have incorporated variations which may be utilized separately or in a complete relationship as shown.

Thus in case of a relatively shallow ash tray 30 it may be preferable to provide a vertical bracket 3| to support the member I5.

I may also make the channels i2 of the guide member II with downwardly extending oblique cross sections l2a as illustrated in Figure 7, causing the edges of the member 16a to conform thereto, for the purpose of assuring that ashes, particles of tobacco and any dirt readily gravitate into the ash tray and thus prevent accumulations of debris in these channels.

I may also provide a means for compressing and breaking up the burnt material cut oil. the lower end of a cigarette stub, in the form of comb teeth 35 formed in the tongue 22a, cooperating with alternately disposed teeth 36 descending downwardly from the inner end of the guide member I I. In this latter form of device when the member Ilia. is pushed completely in, a part at least of the burnt fragments cut off at the lower end of the cigarette stub are carried on the teeth 35 of the tongue 22 and compressed in the pocket indicated at 3! in Figure 6 against the teeth 36 at the inner end of the guide member H, smothering any fire remaining in the ashes. Part of the material will of course fall through between the teeth 35 and part of it will be pushed through the teeth 36. That which neither falls through the teeth 35 nor is pushed through the teeth 36 will shake loose and fall into the receptacle upon retraction of the member l6a to its normal position. The parts just described are not essential to satisfactory operation of the device but do offer additional features and may be employed without substantial alteration of the principal form of my invention.

The tongue may be formed with teeth as illustrated, without employing the cooperating teeth 36, in which case loose ashes and material would tend to fall through into the receptacle prior to the clipping operation.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A device for disposing of smoked cigarettes comprising a cigarette guide, a support, a member mounted on the support, the said member comprising a cigarette sustaining element normally disposed below the guide, a cutter joined to the sustaining element, an opening rearward of the cutter for passage by gravity of cigarette stubswhen the opening is aligned with the guide, means manually actuated to simultaneously move the cutter across the lower end of the guide and the sustaining element in advance of the cutter and to align the opening with the guide, and means to return the said member to normal position.

2. A device for disposing of smoked cigarettes comprising a slide guide member, a cigarette guide in fixed relation to the said slide guide member, a manually actuated slide member mounted in the said slide guide member comprising a cigarette supporting tongue normally positioned below the cigarette guide and adapted to be shifted forward, a cutter adapted for movement across the lower end of the cigarette guide, and an opening adapted to be aligned with the cigarette guide at the conclusion of the travel of the cutter, and spring means to return the said slide member to normal position.

3. A device for disposing of smoked cigarettes comprising a slide guide member, a. cigarette guide in fixed relation to thesaid slide guide member, a manually actuated slide member mounted in the said slide guide member comprising an obliquely disposed cigarette supporting tongue normally positioned below the cigarette guide and adapted to be shifted forward, a cutter adapted for movement across the lower end of the cigarette guide, and an opening adapted to be aligned with the cigarette guide at the conclusion of the travel of the cutter, and spring means to return the said slide member to normal position.

4. A device for disposing of smoked cigarettes comprising a slide guide member, a cigarette guide in fixed relation to the said slide guide member, a manually actuated slide member mounted in the said slide guide member comprising a toothed cigarette supporting tongue normally positioned below the cigarette guide and adapted to be shifted forward, a cutter adapted for movement across the lower end of the cigarette guide, and an opening adapted to be aligned with the cigarette guide at the conclusion of the travel of the cutter, and spring means to return the said slide member to normal position. l

5. A device for disposing of smoked cigarettes comprising a slide guide member, a cigarette guide in fixed relation to the said slide guide member, a manually actuated slide member mounted in the said slide guide member comprising a toothed cigarette supporting tongue normally positioned below the cigarette guide and adapted to be shifted forward, a cutter adapted for movement across the lower end of the cigarette guide, and an opening adapted to be aligned with the cigarette guide at the conclusion of the travel of the cutter, a stationary toothed element cooperating with the teeth on the said slide member to smother and disperse ashes clipped from the cigarette, and spring means to return the said slide member to normal position.

EPIPHANY O. STATELLES. 

